Review: 8.15 – Valentine’s Day is Over

Well, like Julie last week, I did not intend to be so negative. I just can’t help it. I was actually talking to Julie about this and she made an excellent point. It isn’t about what we are seeing in the show; it’s about what we aren’t seeing. I wouldn’t mind everything, except for the fact that the show doesn’t seem to want to write for Nathan and Haley. I read an interview with Mark Schwahn at the beginning of season seven. He was trying to reassure fans who might be worried about how the show would fare without Lucas and Peyton. I don’t recall his exact wording, but he was basically saying that Nathan and Haley were the heart and soul of the show and always had been. It’s true. At the moment, it feels as though they’re so stable that the show doesn’t feel the need to give them any story. However, there are major things going on in their lives that could provide for some great story for them. The most obvious, Haley is pregnant. It’s been such a non-issue.

Then there’s Nathan trying to find his place in the world without basketball. This affects not just Nathan, but Haley and Jamie as well. Instead, Nathan’s return to school has been a dud. Instead of seeing him overcome and work hard, we just seem him griping about his professor. Is Kellerman an ass? Absolutely. Should Nathan, a mature adult, be handling this better? Yes. He should be studying and working hard. The story had a lot of promise, but that’s fizzled.

The main problem that I had with this episode was that every other couple, including Jamie and Madison, had a better story for the episode than Nathan and Haley. Nathan and Haley are the couple of this show. They’ve been a constant for 164 episodes now. That’s longevity that not a lot of television couples can claim and the show is really doing a disservice to their history. The few scenes they had together I did enjoy. Haley’s hormones are always good for a laugh. Their scene in the bathroom was a nice illustration of how well they just work together doing something as mundane as brushing teeth. Well, onto other things. I do actually know the show isn’t all about Nathan and Haley. Though, it should be more about Nathan and Haley.

Brooke and Julian were light and fun. By the time they got to the pizza delivery fantasy, it was getting a little old. Their amateur porn movie routine, though, gave no indication that they would be making a monumental life decision in this episode. Their decision to adopt, which is not a surprise, is going to change their lives. It feels like it was just tacked on at the end to propel their story in future episodes. Of course, the way the season has been going, I now fear that with this decision, the remainder of Haley’s pregnancy will become about Brooke’s desire to be a mom.

I wish they weren’t devoting so much time to Chuck and Chase. Chuck’s song was cute. It’s cuter knowing that Michael May, who plays Chuck, wrote the song. Let’s talk about crappy advice, shall we? What kind of mentor figure tells a kid to hide who they are? Nice going, Chase. He’s forgetting that Chuck’s best friend is Jamie Scott. Jamie Scott would never mock his friend for loving show tunes. That’s horrible, horrible advice to give a kid. Also, I enjoyed it more when Dan Scott told off Mrs. Scolnick then when Chase did it.

The other couples had their chance to be cute. Mouth and Millie, as well as Clay and Quinn, seem destined for bliss. Everyone is in a really good place in their lives. The muffin was a nice callback to earlier Mouth and Millie days. On the subject of Clay and Quinn, I don’t buy that he has the kind of clout to get City & Colour to do a private performance. Nonetheless, it was sweet.

Given the past couple of episodes, I’m starting to think I liked season seven more, and I consider season seven to be the weakest. I’ll reserve final judgment until the season actually ends. They have seven episodes to turn it around. And please, for the love of all that is good and holy, let Nathan and Haley be Nathan and Haley for those final episodes. Please.

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Welcome to It Was Just a Joke, a little fan site for the secret greatest show on television. This site is home to our One Tree Hill fanlistings, icons, thoughts, and other random content. Warning: spoilers for all episodes!